Ashes to Ed
by Wu the Stoic
Summary: Now that Ed is getting older, life at home is starting to come to a vicious head.
1. Chapter 1

The kitchen table made an obscene sound as Ed's body collided into it. It scraped several feet across the floor before he found his balance and turned, gripping the edge so he wouldn't spill onto the freshly washed tile. Lightning radiated from his lower back which was currently sending signals to his knees to protest in mutiny against him but he managed to stay on his feet. His father stood wordless, the old belt in his hand with the leather looped once over his big fist.

"I told you," Ed tried again. "This morning… at breakfast." He was breathless from that rattlesnake strike to which the large buckle had connected with the most vulnerable part of his spine.

"You did no such thing, Edward," his mother spat as she stood at the sink with her hands upon her hips. "You are nearly two hours late, where were you when Sarah needed you?"

He lifted his face, his expression pained as he peered at her through heavy auburn bangs. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a grimace as his father struck him again, but he didn't flinch. He had stopped flinching years ago. "Honest!" he said, desperate for them to believe him. "Honest! I told you this morning that I was going to stay with my math teacher because he was going to tutor me and help me get at least a B on my test!"

"Nonsense," his father grunted, but otherwise remained silent. After all; it wasn't he that wore the pants in the family.

"What have we told you about lying to us, Edward?" she asked without hiding the disdain in her voice.

"I didn't lie!" he pleaded, and then leaned forward as the belt bit into his back once more. This time higher up. He slowly sank down upon one knee, his hands still gripping the edge of the table as he waited for the wave of nausea to pass. "I swear! Sarah was there! She can tell you!"

"Don't you _dare_ bring your sister into this mess," his mother spat as venom now fueled the seething anger to her words. "Don't you _dare_! Aren't you bad enough that you have to sully her?"

"Sully?" he asked, his lips quivering as he fought to keep them still. Whenever he grew vulnerable and truly showed them the agony he was in, they joyfully pounced to make it worse.

"Yes, sully. That means to spoil, tarnish, or defile!"

He knew what sully meant, he just couldn't believe that his parents would think such a thing. Didn't he take such good care of Sarah? And now that the entire gang was so close after the ordeal with Eddy's brother, didn't they all take good care of each other? Of course they did, and that's when Ed's punishments began to really grow harsher. Sarah was no longer a pawn to be used against him because of the bond they had formed and it had infuriated their parents to no end.

"Aah!" lowering his head, Ed closed his eyes tightly as the belt began to rain down blow upon blow to the backs of his shoulders. "Stop it, please, it hurts!"

"Don't you think it hurts us to do this to you?" his mother spat and something within his soul took a trembling breath, and then grew courage.

He lifted his face, staring at her with a mixture of fascination and wounded wonder. "No," he whispered. The next blow felt faltering before his father lowered his arm and lifted his face to gauge how his wife would react to such an act of defiance. Ed was supposed to take his lumps, not defy them.

"No?" she asked as she closed the distance between them. "Am I getting sass back from you?"

It was a feat of will Ed didn't know he possessed just to muster the physical strength to push himself back onto his feet. He swayed as his stomach lurched and he felt his gorge rise before fighting it back down. His back was on fire and agony was radiating down his left leg. _Must be nerve damage_ , he thought to himself. _Double Dee would know_.

She looked at her son for a long while now. When he was a baby, she had been so disappointed that not only was he the wrong sex, but he looked just like his father. Now, as time wore on, she had begun to see what a beauty Ed was. He truly had been an ugly duckling of a child, but time was slowly erasing that as he was beginning to favor her side of the family now. "Why don't you cut your hair, you look like a girl," she tried a different direction. Emotional abuse since the physical discipline wasn't working.

"Sarah likes it," he said softly, and then sniffled once. "I grew it for her, and she likes it." He closed his eyes as the palm of his mother's hand connected with his cheek with a shotgun crack, leaving behind an angry red print.

"What did I tell you about sullying your sister?"

"I did it for her," Ed whispered. His head turned this time as she struck again. "I'm going to my room," he said dismissively as he pushed away from the table. It made one more horrible scrape since it was holding most of his weight, and his parents pounced. He made it to stairway door before the belt connected with his back again, and this time, he lifted his arm to try to ward away the blow. He tried to close the door against his father, but that only enraged his mother, who pointed at her son and instructed her husband to do what he should against such a bad, headstrong boy.

Sarah stood in the hallway, her hands clamped tightly over her ears as she cried over the entire ordeal. Of course they were wrong; they were always wrong when it came to Ed. Why didn't they just come out and say what they really felt? Why didn't they just get it over with and tell him how much they hated him? Why not just kick him out of the house if he made them that miserable? But she knew the simple truth. They liked hurting him. It made whatever bad things in their own lives seem better when they took it out on him. Usually after a good whipping, while he lie on his bed sometimes weeping, they would be smiling and relaxed. He was their outlet. He was their whipping boy. Her heart began to grow cold for them.

She was pulled out of her morose reverie by Ed's sharp sudden cry. A moment of silence passed, a sliver of a second before it was joined by another, and then the sick sounds of his body as it tumbled down the staircase.

Double Dee hummed a soft tune to himself as water rushed into the sink where it met the soap to create a heady lather over the dinner dishes. His parents had asked if he would like to join them for a movie, but he had only smiled and ushered them out the door, clucking to them about how three was a crowd on date night. He chuckled softly at the memory that was only a half hour old. He was halfway through the dishes when the sudden pounding at the front door caused him to start. A glass slipped through the grip in his yellow gloves and it made a soft tinking sound as it bumped into a plate at the bottom of the sink. The doorbell rang next and there was no mistaking the desperation as the pounding resumed.

"Coming…" he said as concern etched his brow. It was nearly eight thirty. "Why who in the world would be by so late?" he murmured as he removed the gloves and placed them neatly in the adjoining sink before untying his apron. "I'm coming!" he called louder, so his guest would know they weren't knocking in vain. "Just a moment, please!"

When he peered through the peephole, he was surprised to see Sarah standing on the porch. "Just a moment," he said again and the door opened after the lock snapped to. He canted his head, looking at her in concern as she began to cry.

"It's Ed!" she cried out. "He fell down the stairs and I can't help him up!"

"Oh dear!" he exclaimed with a shock he wish were genuine.

Sarah nodded once, and then reached out to grip his arm, tugging it gently. "You know I can't call anyone," she whispered. "It makes things so bad… and instead of being mad at me for calling it, they punish Ed because he was the reason why I did."

"This has got to stop, this isn't right, it's not healthy, and I can't stand by while my friend is being abused," Double Dee answered heatedly as he gently removed her hands from his arm. However, this was a situation where he needed to remain calm and in control. "Come, I put a good medical kit in his room just for occasions such as this."

"Thank you, Double Dee," she said through her tears.

He had brought his fears to his parent's attention and they were concerned, but uncomfortable. His mother explained to him in situations like this, it could tear apart the entire social fabric of the neighborhood. It could cause the siblings to be removed from the home and separated, it could cause very bad blood. The last thing everyone in the cul-de-sac needed was a Hatfield and McCoyesque feud.

"But he's my _friend_ ," Edd had pleaded with them, but in the end, they had won out.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Double Dee escorted Sarah back to her home.

Ed swayed on his feet, looking down with hazy eyes at the pool of blood that had spread beneath his cheek as he lie on the cold basement floor. _Better clean that up if mom wants to do the laundry_ his mind murmured as he continued to stare at the pool. _Don't want her to step in it, I'll get it for sure if she does._ It wasn't large, which was good. He was just grateful that it didn't spread beneath the washer or dryer. Turning, he walked in slow stilted steps towards his bedroom door, wiping his hand absentmindedly along the cut on his chin. Blood, fresh now that the wound had been reopened, began to seep once more, gaining traction with gravity and moving down his neck. He didn't register the handprint he left on the door facing as it gripped it and fought to keep the darkness from the edges of his vision. At the moment, he knew he was in pain, he just couldn't pinpoint where. Signals were scrambled and he just needed to go sit down.

He inhaled once, twice, and then nodded with faint determination as he began to walk once again. Just go sit down, the room was spinning, his heart felt like it was galloping in his chest and wherever it was going he dearly wished it would take him with it. Anything to get away. His name was called, but it felt like it was so far away. He felt like he was underwater and he was _sure_ he was still walking, but he couldn't tell if he was any closer to his chair or not. His room was dark, but the light cast into the doorway behind him gave him plenty of light to see by. The light was broken once, and then twice, his name, a startled familiar voice, and then Sarah's voice joining it. The world was growing lighter, as if he could fly, or perhaps float. He no longer felt attached with the weight of his still growing body and then, there was his name again followed by a jolting sensation.

He came to for a moment, a brief interlude of clarity in this waking nightmare called Ed's life. He blinked stupidly and realized that he was indeed in his room, but not as far from the door as he had assumed. He was on his knees and a voice was calling to him urgently. Someone was holding him up.

"Sarah? Is it Sarah? Does she need me?" he slurred as he turned his head. The voices again, they sounded muddy and far away and the darkness was creeping in around his field of vision once more. He frowned and thought he could feel hands on his back and arms around him, keeping him steady. He just wanted to lie down and rest for a moment. Just a moment, then he'd clean up where he'd bled on the floor. "Am I here?" he asked before he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Can you help him, Double Dee?" Sarah asked from the doorway where she was keeping watch in case her parents grew too nosy.

"I'll try my best," Double Dee said. He was on his knees before Ed, his arms around the other's body as he held him up. A quick dose of smelling salts had brought Ed to a snorting start, but he was once again trying to go limp on him. Double Dee felt his face pinch with emotion before he put his head down and forward so he could rest his forehead upon Ed's left shoulder.

"I can't stand this," he said, his voice strained. "I can't go back on my word that I wouldn't call for help in instances such as these, but this isn't right!" he said. "How long must I sit back and watch his life chipped away from one fall or another, Sarah?"

Sarah, in her shame, held her tongue. She knew that if Ed were to be removed from the house by any authority figure, tongues all over the neighborhood would wag. What would they say about him? Or her? Until tonight, she cared about what they would say about her parents, but now… Hesitantly, she pushed away from the door frame, walked over to her brother and squatted down. "I hate them," she said, her voice full of venom. This seemed to bring something awake in Ed and his eyes fluttered. He found a bit of balance as Double Dee leaned away from his shoulder and Ed turned his face to his sister. There was a peaceful countenance upon his face and he gave her a gentle smile before whispering the word softly.

"no."

"Come, Sarah, help me get him into bed. I can assess his injuries better that way. Could you do me a favor and text Eddy? Tell him what happened?"

"Sure," she said as she rose. She hooked her arms beneath her brother's armpits and began to hoist as Double Dee rose himself, doing his best to pull Ed up into a standing position.

"Up we go," he grunted through clenched teeth. Dead weight was never easy to manage and with Ed being six foot four (and still growing he feared) he found that he just wasn't built to fight it. Ed tried to help, but the room was first swimming, then spinning as they fought him onto his feet.

"Guys…" he said, his voice thick and slurred as he was carefully walked to his bed. He moved with the awkward steps of a newborn fawn.

"A little bit further," Double Dee soothed as the bed grew closer. "Just a little bit more, give us just a _little_ bit more, please Ed." He could feel his friend working to make the effort, trying as hard as he could but the darkness was taking over his vision. They managed to turn him in time and tried to control as much of his fall as they could. Double Dee grimaced as Ed's backside connected with the mattress, causing him to bounce. He was worried about unseen injuries that may have been jarred from the hard sit.

"Alright, Sarah, you get a hold of Eddy, I'll take things from here. I'll call you if I need you. Just wait and watch for Eddy, please," he said as he peeled Ed's shirt off and then carefully let his body ease back into a supine position. She then helped him get those long legs onto the bed, and left the room to gather her phone and inform Eddy of what had happened while Double Dee finished undressing Ed in modest privacy.

* * *

"Again?!" Eddy barked. His voice was livid and small over the phone. Sarah closed her eyes, swallowed past a lump in her throat, and explained what had happened.

"I just clocked out, but I'm still on the job site. I'll be there as soon as I can, just don't do anything stupid like jostle him around or anything."

"A little too late for that," she admitted. "We had to make him walk to the bed. Double Dee's seeing after him now. I'm scared, Eddy… he's never fallen down the stairs before…"

"Fallen my ass, we both know he was pushed," came the acerbic retort. A dump truck rumbled by him and he let out a harsh breath before shoving his hardhat back and pinching the bridge of his nose. It was a habit he had unconsciously picked up from Double Dee. "Let me talk to my boss, he kinda has a gist of what's going on anyway, I'm sure he'll let me head out."

"Thanks, Eddy. We need you."

"Yeah, yeah, like I said; keep an eye on him and I'll call before I leave in case you guys need something."

"Thank you," Sarah whispered again before disconnecting the call.

* * *

"Oh Ed," Double Dee whispered as he pressed his hands against his friends ribs, feeling for any signs of pleurisy. He knew he wasn't equipped to deal with a collapsed lung, and Ed surely wouldn't survive it without medical intervention. Thankfully there was no tell-tale crackling beneath the skin.

"Double Dee?" Ed whispered, his voice no more than a forced breath.

"Sssh, try not to speak, Ed. I don't know how badly hurt you are," Edd soothed as he continued to feel the strong torso for any broken bones.

"I'm so cold," Ed whispered. He opened his eyes to slits. "I'm f-fre-freezing…"

"You're going into shock," Double Dee answered with a voice that was soft and gentle. It soothed Ed, who only closed his eyes once more. "We're going to get you warm, Eddy is on his way. Sarah gave him a list of everything we need."

Ed simply gave a minute nod before opening his eyes once again. Everything was blurry with hints of gray trying to form around the edges of his vision. He squinted and then finally gave in and closed them again. "My chin hurts," he breathed.

"You have a nasty cut on it, try not to speak, I don't want you to chance opening the wound again, I don't want you to break the stitches," the soft voice reassured. Ed wanted to nod, but instead, just let out a sighing breath and relaxed once more. His head was thundering in agony.

"Eddy called," Sarah whispered as she slipped into the room. "He said he'll be a little late because his boss was stocking him up on a few things for Ed. He thinks he'll have enough stuff that he won't need to run to the store."

"How much does his boss know?" Double Dee asked in surprise. He quickly deduced that this could be a very good thing. Someone perhaps to either take this entire situation out of their hands, or at least offer comfort.

"He said he had a gist of it," Sarah said as she looked over Edd's shoulder to her sleeping brother's face. Double Dee had done his best to suture the long vertical cut on Ed's chin, using tiny and precise stitches to minimize any scarring as best as he could.

"Tell me what happened," Edd said firmly as he pulled the fresh blanket up close to Ed's collar bones.

"He wanted to study for that text he was so worried about," Sarah said as she sank down onto the mattress next to Edd. "He was working so hard because he knew you'd be proud of him."

"Me? Why me? Why not his parents?" Double Dee asked. His eyes met Sarah's and together, there was a loud heated agreement in the sudden silence between them.

"Because they don't care," Sarah finally broke the quiet. "But we do, don't we, Double Dee?"

"We do," he said as he patted her back gently. "And that's what matters."

"Will he be okay?"

"I don't know," came the hesitant answer. "I wasn't there when he fell, I don't know what he hit going down or how far down the stairs he was when he fell."

"I think he was at least halfway down, that's how it sounded," she said as the slamming of the front door drew their attention. They didn't hear Eddy's grumbled response of returned greeting to Ed's parents, but they could hear his heavy work boots as he descended the basement staircase.

"We're a month into the new school year and they're already trying to kill him," Eddy said as he stepped through the bedroom door. "You'd think they'd _want_ to see him graduated and out of here."

Double Dee rose quickly, putting his hands out to Eddy in a silent attempt to quieten him. "Ed's sleeping," he said in a hushed tone.

"I swear," Eddy continued. "If his dad lays one more hand on him, I'm going to rip that old man's arm off," He walked to Ed's desk and set the two large bags down that he was holding. "Boss packed me up a few big bottles of Gatorade, some odds and ends, and here," turning, he dug into the work pocket of his shirt and offered Double Dee a bottle. Within it rattled a few pills.

"What are these?"

"Pain pills. He said only to give a half of one every four hours. That that would help his pain."

Dubiously, Edd looked at the small bottle, and then sighed. "Very well. We do what we must in this situation."

"Yeah," Eddy grumbled as he walked over to stand at the foot of the bed. He gazed down at his unconscious friend for a very long time without speaking. For a little while, all he could do was shake his head. "Our last year in school and they're gonna kill him," he growled out before putting his hand upon his forehead and shoving his bangs back slowly. "We gotta tell."

"I know, but we promised. And what can we do? You know I despise this situation, but it only escalated two years ago. If we can just get him to survive this last year, then surely we'll be able to _do_ something… rent an apartment, perhaps."

"Yeah," Eddy grumbled as he walked back over to the desk. He sank down into the chair and kicked his feet up onto the surface as he checked his watch. "It's nearly ten-thirty, I'll watch over him tonight, Double Dee, you go home and get some rest when you're ready. I'll stay with him tomorrow and maybe by Monday, he'll be up and going again."

"Will you call me if anything changes for the worse?"

"You know I will," Eddy said. His voice was tired. He'd had a long day of work at the construction site. It was a job he had gotten when he was a sophomore in high school, and the owner of the company, a man just beyond middle age by the name of Al, had taken to Eddy and immediately tucked him under his wing. He saw potential and strength in the loud-mouthed young man and put all that energy into teaching him the trade. "A trade is what you want, young man," Al had told him as he put him on the lowest run of the ladder. "Work your way up, you work hard, and by the time you're my age; you'll be able to enjoy your retirement."

The work was hard, but the money was great. He was able to easily afford all the things he had desired as a kid. And then some. By the time school had ended their junior year, he was paying the mortgage for his parent's house without feeling the financial pain of it. Whenever there was something he and his friends wanted to do, he was the one who paid for it. It felt good to be a man and he took to it well. Much to Double Dee's delight and surprise, Eddy had grown into a good man. Still loud, still boisterous and headstrong, but a _good_ man.

"At least tomorrow is Thursday," Double Dee said as he turned his face to Ed. "I'll bring home assignments, he's doing so well, and I don't want him to lose that streak. His test is next Wednesday; I'll have a talk with his math teacher and explain what happened. If Ed isn't mentally up for the challenge, I want him to understand and to give him an opportunity to test when he is able."

"Yeah," Eddy said.

"Have you eaten?" Double Dee asked. "I have lasagna at home. I'd be glad to bring you a plate."

Eddy mulled that over for a long moment. "Yeah, I could eat," he said. "We ran late tonight because we're almost finished with building. We're breaking ground in a new location pretty soon so we're busting to try to get finished up."

"As long as it is done correctly," Edd said as he rose. "I'll be back, I don't know if Sarah has eaten either, I'll make sure she gets something if need be."

"You're such a mother hen, Double Dee."

Edd paused in the bedroom doorway before chuckling once. "If I wasn't, then who'd be?"

"Good point."


	3. Chapter 3

Eddy's head slowly tilted down until his chin bumped against his chest. Startled, he let out a soft snort as his head jerked back up. He gazed about the dark room while a thick veil of confusion settled across his groggy brain. At first, he wasn't sure exactly where he was until a flash of lightning flickered, illuminating the basement where he kept watch over his wounded friend. Thunder grumbled shortly after and then the sound of wind. The late summer storm that had promised to be there around four that afternoon had taken its sweet time. He was sure it was after midnight by now.

"Aaah, shit," he complained as he uncrossed his ankles. He had fallen asleep in Ed's chair with his feet kicked up upon his desk. Pins and needles greeted him as he put his feet onto the floor, and the creaking of the chair as he rose on unsteady legs seemed obscene in the quiet room.

Quite.

Adrenaline shot through his system, marking the needles in his legs and feet forgotten as he turned by memory to where Ed's bed was. Ed usually snored, but there was no sound coming from him. Fear eased into his belly and gripped his stomach with a cold hand.

"I'm awake," Ed's voice whispered to him and Eddy let out a harsh breath, shaky with relief.

"Go back to sleep, Lumpy. I gotta take a leak."

"You were sleeping when I had to go," Ed's voice murmured back. It was thick and sounded very sleepy.

"And you thought it was a good idea to get up without my help?"

"It's not far to the bathroom," came the response. There was the sound of him carefully adjusting his body on his bed, followed by a pitiful groan that he tried to suppress. "I can pee by myself. There was blood in it, Eddy." Now fear parted the pain pill induced fog, but Eddy was prepared.

"Double Dee said your kidneys might be bruised. Especially where you got it with the belt."

"I'm not dying?"

"Not yet, buddy," Eddy answered as he headed to the bathroom. "Next time, you _wake_ me up, do you understand?" He wanted to add something about how "or else" he'd give Ed a beating he'd never forget, but right now in this circumstance, it didn't feel right.

Thunder rumbled again as Eddy relieved himself, and the bathroom light flickered ominously. "You still awake?"

"Yeah."

"Need anything? I can give you the other half of that pill if you want it. It's been close enough."

"They make me feel funny," Ed answered.

"Yeah, feeling funny beats being in agony." Eddy came into the bedroom and flipped on the desk lamp. "I'll get you something to drink. Double Dee said to make sure to keep you hydrated." He turned his face to study his friend, who was lying on his back with his forearm resting across his face. Bruises continued to bloom across his skin; dark purple and as angry as the storm that was creeping upon them. "Need an ice pack?"

Ed slowly shook his head side to side in response.

"I want you to drink this," Eddy said, pouring some Gatorade into a plastic cup and carrying it over to the bed.

"I don't want to have to get up and pee again, it really hurts to walk," Ed whispered.

"I hate to tell you, man, but this is something you've _got_ to walk off. And you let me know when you need help. That's why I'm here, got it?"

"Got it," Ed said. He groaned in pain as he let Eddy help him into a sitting position, and obediently, he drank what was offered. When he was finished, he nodded to Eddy, who gently eased him back down after adjusting his pillows for him.

"You can watch TV, Eddy, that…" Ed yawned grandly, and then closed his eyes. "It won't keep me up."

"I think I will," Eddy said as he grabbed the remote and pressed the power button. He made sure to turn the sound down regardless. "Wanna see what the weather is up to."

* * *

They sat watch over Ed during the weekend, and while they were there, Ed's spirits began to rise. By the second night, he was able to hobble better to the bathroom and even allowed Double Dee to scrub him down in the shower. By the time Monday morning arrived, he was able bodied enough to walk to school. A thoughtful countenance remained on his face, however, and no matter how much Sarah playfully prodded her brother, he remained tight lipped about what was on his mind, only offering her a silly grin as he walked her to school.

It wasn't until lunch the following Monday that Ed decided to get the budding feelings in his heart off of his chest. He set his tray down in front of Eddy, and then plopped down onto the bench. "Eddy…"

"What is it, Ed? You've been weird all week; you don't have a leak in your brain or anything, do ya?" he asked in concern.

"No," Ed grumbled down to his pizza. He frowned as he lifted a fry, and then let it drop between his fingers as he sighed. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, but make it quick, I heard two sophomores were going to throw down today at lunch. I don't want to miss the opportunity to get a pool going."

"Okay… well, I feel funny, Eddy."

This brought Eddy's attention from what was going on around them back to his friend. It was almost two weeks now that Ed had been pushed down the stairs. Was that still too soon to worry about any physical repercussions? Double Dee had mentioned his concerns about a possible bleed on the brain, the warning still on the forefront of Eddy's mind. "Did… did something happen this weekend that we need to know about?" he asked with trepidation.

Ed frowned and then jumped at the realization. "Oh… no! No, it's all good. Dad's still scared to even come near me after that one," he said in a quiet voice. "No, it's not like that at all. It's just…" Ed lifted another French fry and began to dance it around his ketchup as his brow furrowed in thought. It was so hard to try to tell his best friend what he was feeling when it came to feelings that he himself didn't quite understand.

"You know how you and Kevin are?" Ed finally spoke up.

"Yeah?" Eddy asked.

"Well… I feel like that, too, but not for Kevin."

"Good answer," Eddy said with a grin as he opened his soda and took a drink.

"What are we talking about?" Kevin asked as he joined them.

It almost put Ed off of his confession. "Guys… you'll make fun of me…"

"We always make fun of you," Kevin said as he opened his own drink. "What's the big deal now?"

Ed shrugged his shoulders before letting them slump in defeat. "I got feelings for somebody the way you two have feelings for each other."

"Whoa…" Kevin said quietly and then turned his face to exchange a brief glance with Eddy before the both of them suddenly leaned forward, eager to hear more.

"I can't," Ed sighed.

"Sure you can," the pair stated in unison. It made Ed groan and cast a furtive glance around their area before leaning forward.

"Yeah, I like someone, but I don't know how to let them know that I like them."

"Well, how long have you liked this person?" Kevin asked.

"Who is it?" Eddy responded, nearly speaking over the redhead.

"I'm not telling who it is, but… I've really started liking them since school started up."

"Boy or girl?" Kevin asked.

Ed was silent for a long while, causing his friends to once more exchange a glance and answer for him, once again, in unison. "Boy."

"Yeah," Ed sighed. That'd be a hell of a beating for sure, but for this person, it was well worth it. "If dad ever found out it was a boy, he'd kill me," he whispered, and then cut his gaze up to his friends. They nodded, understanding. "But he's worth it, though," Ed continued before finally starting in on his meal. "I need to know how to get his attention. I think I even want to ask him to the prom…"

"So… you've got feelings for Double Dee, I take it," Kevin said around a bite of his pizza. Ed blanched immediately.

"You know we'll keep it between us," Eddy said. "You know we will. When did _this_ happen, Ed?"

"When he sat on the bed next to me all those nights. Reading to me, tending to me, taking care of me… it felt good and I wanted to do that for him, too. Like… how people who love each other do. You two take care of each other… I want that to, and with him because even though I'm a big screw up sometimes, he doesn't hold it against me," Ed murmured. "I guess I've always kinda felt this way, but it just…" he opened and closed his hands as he gestured about it. "Came to me or something…"

"We don't even know if Double Dee is into guys," Kevin said gently. "Ed… just guard your heart."

"I know, that's what I'm worried about," Ed said with a large sigh. "He makes my heart tickle, and even if I can't be 'with him' with him, it's good to know that he's my friend."

"Man," Eddy said, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "When you put your foot into something, you really step into it, don't you, Ed?"

Ed let out a half-hearted chuckle, but slyly put his finger to his lips as Double Dee joined them for lunch.

"Hello, gentlemen," Double Dee greeted as he took a seat on Ed's right. "Sorry I'm late." He peeked over at Ed's tray as he began to unfold the top of his paper sack. "Ed! What in the world are you eating?" he admonished. "You're a growing lad who's also happens to be on the football team and that's the junk you decide to put into your body?" It was a lecture he got every day at lunch.

"I like it, Double Dee," Ed said with a smirk. To illustrate the point, he lifted his pizza and took a healthy bite. "Mmmm, greasy," he said while he chewed.

"I'll have you know, mister, that that isn't the protein load your body needs, and especially for a sport as physically demanding as football! Think of the exertion and injuries that come with it! You're going to need healthy food to balance those repercussions!"

"Mmmmm, cheesy," Ed continued, still smirking at Double Dee. The spark flickering in his eye wasn't lost on Kevin and Eddy.

"Heavens, I'm just going to have to start packing you a lunch," Double Dee said before growing serious. "You guys looked like you were in quite the discussion. Is anything the matter? Are you feeling alright, Ed?" He put his hand on his friends shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Ed wished he had a button to stop time, or perhaps one that would magically cement Eddy's mouth shut, but it wasn't so. Their short friend opened his mouth and announced to Double Dee that Ed had a crush on someone. Ed tried to kick Eddy beneath the table, but missed, and his toe clipped one of the bench legs instead.

"You've got a crush… on someone?" Double Dee asked. "Why… Ed… that's… good." His tone was stilted and Kevin smirked as he ate one fry after the other, anything to keep his mouth busy and not allow it to help Eddy. Ed looked as though he were desperately wishing a hole would open up in the floor beneath him so it would swallow him whole.

"It's just a little crush," Ed explained as he looked at Double Dee with a veiled yet pleading expression.

Double Dee reached out, patting Ed rapidly on the back of his shoulder before rising from the table. "You must excuse me, but I had forgotten about helping Mrs. Baxter sort the late returns in the library. She doesn't mind if I eat while I work and well, there's no time like the present. I'm sorry, but please do excuse me," and without another word, Double Dee swung his leg off the bench and scurried from the busy lunch room.

Ed frowned after him before turning a sour look to Eddy and Kevin. "Thanks a lot, guys, you ran him off."

Kevin gazed at Ed for a long while, a fresh smirk budding on his face as it began to tug up the right corner of his mouth. Oh, this was too delicious.

* * *

"Alright," Eddy's said as he wriggled his way through Ed's window. "I've spent all day thinking about it, this is what you need to do."

Ed slowly lifted his face from his homework. Now a senior in high school, he had maintained a very good B average in his studies, thanks mostly to Double Dee's tutorage, since freshman year. His pencil clattered to his desk only to be knocked aside as Eddy's feet made contact with the work surface.

"Just listen to me Ed and you'll have him wooed in no time."

"Uh… okay," Ed answered as he stared at his friend as if he had grown a second head.

"First, cut your hair. You look like a girl."

"No way, Eddy! I'm not cutting my hair off!" Ed exclaimed as he put his hands on top of his head, causing Eddy to break into boisterous laughter.

"Nah, I'm just messing with ya, Lumpy. You look good. Okay, now, this is what you need to do."

"Where are you going, Eddy?"

"Just want to check something out," Eddy said as he walked into Ed's bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and looked around before prowling around the tub and sink. "Just as I thought…"

"Thought what, Eddy?"

"No cologne. How can a guy who'll be 18 in a month not own a bottle of cologne? You don't even have any decent aftershave, Ed! Good grief, you'd have figured I'd have rubbed off on you by _now_!" Turning, he studied his friend who just looked at him with a blank confusion. "Well… at least Double Dee got you bathing every night, so, that's a plus, right?"

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "No more stinky pits for me, Eddy," he intoned gravely.

"Good, because if you're trying to put the moves on someone, the first thing you don't want to do is stink. So, I guess Double Dee was doing half our work for us."

Ed trailed his fingers through his bangs as he watched Eddy continue to paw through the contents of his medicine cabinet.

"Well, looks like you're a dry well here, Ed. C'mon, let's go to my place and we'll see what we can come up with there."

Ed felt a finger of trepidation trace down his spine at those words.


End file.
